Five Boston-Area Real Estate Blogs Worth Reading

We are deep in the blog era. Just a few short years ago, the word “blog” made some people wince, envisioning an online teenager’s journal, or the life and times of a cat lady. But now the word is almost synonymous with websites with dynamic, updated content. The old, staid HTML pages that get updated a few times a year are as stale looking as pre-Myspace AOL. They are so increasingly rare that they open up as a somewhat depressing shock, like emerging from a tunnel into an Internet ghetto, pages that seem like once-happy homes now simply remnants standing like vacant buildings.

Real estate agents can be among the worst offenders, with websites that are treated like billboards and resumes, and are usually packed with a bunch of distracting junk, weather widgets, mortgage calculators, cheesy head shots, and yet another Multiple Listing Service search engine.

With that in mind, here’s a cherry-picked round-up of some of the best Boston-area real estate-related blogs:

BostonLofts.com

Boston Realty Advisors has been running a collection of loft-style listings at bostonlofts.com for a number of years. It includes listings from other brokers, not just their own exclusive listings. But the main page is a bit frustrating, with too-small photos and a busy interface. Their blog is much more pleasing and fun to gawk at.

Curbed Boston

Speaking of gawking, that’s the specialty of Curbed Boston, a recent addition to the national Curbed site, of which I’ve been a fan for a while. The site is energetic, relentlessly updated, a bit gossipy, and fun. A recent post under the subject of “Red Carpet Real Estate” asks: “What’s the Oldest Boston Listing Over $10M Now?”

Apartment Therapy

Another national blog with a local outpost, Apartment Therapy is consistently great-looking, with excellent photography and a clean interface. The posts concentrate on smaller spaces, mainly apartments of readers, as the name suggests. But there are house tours as well. It is more about design than actual real estate, but the living space is the thing here.

Mass Real Estate Law Blog

Be warned: the look of this one will probably bum you out after scrolling through the nicer-looking blogs above. But I include this one because it is filled with rich, expert content from two well-known Boston-area real estate attorneys. Blogs with stock photos usually send me clicking away instantly, but as an agent, I find the content compelling and valuable. Here is a great one on legal issues surrounding bidding wars (which are back, baby!)

Boston Design Blog

I honestly tried to find some more interesting and well-designed blogs from real estate agents. But most blogs by agents are some combination of outdated (last post: 2009), generic, ugly, unoriginal, and slightly more dynamic version of their old website — perhaps with some cut-and-paste copy from an outside source, or word or two about a listing they previewed before yelling, “choose me! I am an expert.” And listen, I am the first to cop to shameless self-promotion. I mean, that’s what you have to do sometimes to be a real estate agent. But you have to bring something to the table — at least some lovely photos. Check out this great blog from Boston Design Guide. It could have been just another web ad for their print publication. Instead, it stands on its own as a compelling site and resource. It draws the eye and keeps you there with interesting and updated posts.

I long ago updated my site to a blog format with a clean-looking interface, which allows the content to be constantly and easily updated while showing off gorgeous photos of our listings and discussing topics like architectural style, market trends, and general real estate issues. Real estate is ready-made for this format.

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http://loftsboston.com @LoftsBoston

Hey Bill, nice round-up of local area blogs… However, in the spirit of complaining about what/who was left out… where was John Keith’s Real Estate Blog (http://bostonreb.com arguably the first in Boston) and your description of bostonlofts.com read more like my own “photo blog” site, which I can assure you has been around the longest 12+ years and counting… but hey, those in the know, already know

http://www.massrealestatelawblog.com Richard D. Vetstein, Esq.

Thank you so much for listing our real estate law blog! We are honored and humbled. We’ll have to work on those stock photos and our design!!!

Richard D. Vetstein

Guy

As an honarble mention I love the website http://www.northofbostonlofts.com her posts are consistantly insight full and useful for an everyday renter (not just the million dollar investor!).

Guy

As an honarble mention I love the website North of Boston Lofts.com her posts are consistantly insight full and useful for an everyday renter (not just the million dollar investor!).

http://bostonlofts.com Paul Santucci

Wow. I am extremely humbled, too! Thank you for recognizing my hard work. As mentioned, I am fortunate for the opportunity to have other the other amazing agents in the Boston area let me feature their unique, loft-style properties, besides my own listings. More great postings on their way!

AJ, Thanks for recommending the blog we used from 2005 to 2011. As guest content providers for http://Local.Boston.com, we’re now experimenting with their new platform; but our mission and focus has not change. As fee-for-service real estate consultants, we serve a menu of money-saving services and content for DIY homebuyers & FSBOs; and as real estate consumer advocates, we continue to be outspoken critics of the real estate industry. See our recent series of posts regarding bidding wars: http://bit.ly/BidWar911

http://www.bostondesignblog.com Boston Design Guide

Thanks so much for the mention! We’re glad you like our blog and we hope that we can continue to bring you worthwhile content about the players in Boston’s luxury home market.

http://www.bostondedisgnguide.com Lisa

Thank you, Thank you for recognizing Boston Design Guide’s blog! We are fortunate to work with and feature the “best of the best” in retail and home design. Visit us often to see new entries, events and amazing photography.http://www.bostondesignblog.com

http://johnakeithrealestate.com John A Keith

Thank you, @LoftsBoston for the compliment. Yes, it was arguably (and, inarguably) the first and BEST Boston-based blog. John Ford runs that site, now, so he deserves the credit for keeping it running so well.

With the Boston real estate market heating up again, who knows what types of new websites we might see popping up … real soon. :O)

Bill Janovitz

Thanks for your comments and suggestions, everyone. I am always glad to learn of more. While content is of primary importance in my criteria, style and regular updates count as heavily. More often than not, I was turned off by the aesthetics, or lack thereof, of many local RE-focused blogs. I hate to be a snob about this, but RE on the web offers such a deep potential for visually rich content, and the framework that presents it should either offer its own allure or step out of the way. I am not sure why many of my colleagues feel they can just snap some shady pictures of unkempt rooms and call it a day, never mind writing decent copy.

http://www.plastermolds.org/ Jorja Heron

These designs are splendid! It’s hard for me to say how to describe it as they do possess a mixture of complexity and simplicity. I bet these would even get trendy on the internet a few weeks from now!

elanrealestatesale

good post on five boston area in real estate… thanks for posting and worth reading it

asgonzales

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http://www.joehaydenrealtor.com/ Joe Hayden

The Mass Law site is an eye-opener. I have already incorporated several changes suggested by Mr. Vetstein into my business practices. They address many compelling questions related to the real estate industry that can help you with risk management and planning.

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San Diego Realty is dedicated to providing the best real estate services to
our Active Duty men and women of the Armed Forces and Armed Forces Veterans
here in San Diego and Southwest Riverside areas. As a military veteran,Randy
Vance, Founder of San Diego Military Realty,……..